Morning ride

Yesterday evening I took Blue out on the road, the first time in a long time.  He needs his feet toughened up again; the rocks really bothered him, and he kept going over to the grassy areas beside the road for relief.

Several things have kept me from riding this summer:  I’m lazy, for one thing, and I don’t like to change clothes just to ride.  It would be easier if I could just go outside and hop aboard Blue when the mood hits; but every item of my clothing, from underwear to boots, has to be changed.  I won’t go into sickening detail here:  Let’s just say that some things tend to bind and bounce when you’re riding, and the wrong underwear can be a great cause for discomfort.  So there’s that.

The number one reason for my not getting on my horse is that my right knee gives me fits these days when I’m riding.  Somehow, the position of that knee when I’m in the saddle is the perfect position for making it pop.  So it pops in and out randomly.  Ouch, ouch, ouch.

However, I rode last night, and vowed to ride Blue at least five days a week, weather permitting, even if I only ride for a half-hour.  This morning I rode in the pasture.

I rode back to the point at which I can look down over the Missouri river bottom.  That light area just between the gray, low-lying cloud and the furthest line of trees is where the river is, but what you see is not the river:  it’s fog, produced as a result of the river being warmer than the cool morning air.

Bonnie seemed surprised to see Blue with a passenger on his back.

Little Sir Loin had been hidden in the woods asleep, but he heard me talking to Blue and came to see what was happening.

You will never see Blue’s ears all perky and alert when we’re in the pasture, because he’s bored; after all, it’s his home.  He knows where every blade of grass is.  There are no surprises.  When we’re off our property, he’s always on the alert.  He doesn’t want to miss a thing.

Feel free to remind me from time to time that I’m going to ride my horse more regularly… pain and laziness be damned!